Animal Crossing: New Horizons is no exception. Once the game begins, you will be dropped off on a deserted island with nothing but a tent and a few animal companions to help you along the way. And as you begin your journey, Animal Crossing New Horizons choose three plots of land for future residents, you may find yourself wondering where to go, what to pick up, and who to speak with. While we can't guide you through the entire game — you can play Animal Crossing for upwards of a hundred hours and never get bored — we can give you some pointers on how to make the most of your first hour or so. Here's everything you need to know to get started in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, including how to pay off your first loan and even how to build a house.
Preparing for a celebration while also planning for the future
After you've finished helping your neighbors, you'll be brought back to the plaza and given a new task: collect ten tree branches. The small sticks you've noticed strewn about are tree branches. While you're standing on one, press Y to pick it up. If you can't find enough branches on the ground, stand next to a tree and press A to shake it. Every time you shake a tree, there is a chance that a branch will fall out. You can shake a single tree as many times as you want, and as long as there is open space around the tree (including no weeds), it will continue to drop branches.
Speaking of weeds, if you have the patience, whenever you pass over one, press Y to pluck it. It will be stored in your inventory as a clump of weeds, and you can stack up to 99 of them in a single inventory slot. Not only will weed-pulling improve the appearance of your island, but you will also be able to sell them for a reasonable amount of money later on. Once you've returned your branches, you'll be asked to go and get six pieces of fruit. The same advice applies here: shake fruit-bearing trees while picking up weeds, branches, and stones that you come across.
Bring them back to Tom, and you'll be almost finished. Here's where you'll have to deal with what is arguably the most important part of your journey: naming your island. Every islander will be given the opportunity to name the island, but only your name will be chosen. You only have 10 character slots available, which includes spaces and any punctuation. There is no time limit for this, so take as much time as you need. Talk to Tom Nook and let him know that you're going to bed. He'll hand you your sleeping cot and tell you to return to your tent, where you'll find a lantern and a radio.
Get into bed and fall asleep. K. K. Slider, the wandering musician and series mainstay, will appear in your dreams to give you a speech about friendship and warn you that once you wake up, the island will be in sync with real time. In other words, from now on, events and seasons on the island will run in sync with the clock on your Nintendo Switch.
The first full day on the island
Your new raccoon landlady. When you wake up, Tom Nook will be waiting outside your tent. He's ready to hand over your NookPhone and assign you your first long-term goal for the game. It appears that relocating to a deserted island is not without cost, and you have a debt to Tom Nook of approximately 50,000 ACNH bells for sale (the game's form of currency). Fortunately, Tom is considerate enough to allow you to pay your debt back in miles, similar to a type of indentured credit card reward program. As he explains, you'll earn Nook Miles for completing tasks around the island, such as catching fish and bugs or decorating your home.
To pay off your first loan, you'll need to accrue 5,000 nook miles tickets for sale. When you complete a task that earns you miles, a phone icon will appear in the top-left corner of your screen and begin beeping. Before you do anything, make sure your mailbox isn't flashing! If your Switch is connected to the internet, you should receive two gifts from Nintendo directly. One is a virtual Nintendo Switch that you can place inside your tent (which will eventually earn you miles), and the other is a Simple DIY workbench that you can use to craft tools later on.
There are a few tasks you can complete right away to start earning miles. Open the Nook Miles application on your Nook. Talk to both of your neighbors about it. They may also give you gifts as a thank you for assisting them in setting up their tents. Sell a hundred weeds. Sell a total of 20 fruit. Take a photo with the camera app on your NookPhone. Open the passport application on your NookPhone and make any changes you want. Post a message on the bulletin board in the island plaza. Open the Custom Designs application and create a new design. Shake a tree and a piece of furniture will fall out (this occurs at random and is rare, so don't expect to earn this achievement right away).